Thank you for publishing a story about the efforts of our volunteer group, No Kill Russellville, to transform the Russellville Animal Shelter (“Group Wants No Kill Shelter for Russellville,” June 23).

While we were happy to see that shelter director Mike Vernon said he is interested in no-kill solutions, his comments seem contradictory when he only offers excuses, uses scare tactics, and perpetuates myths about the no-kill mission to justify inaction. According to Vernon, obstacles and limitations are problems that should just be accepted, not solved.

We want a shelter where the director, instead of simply accepting the horrible truths about the shelter in its current form, starts with a very different vision — one where finding the best, most innovative solutions to saving animals is a top priority.

Vernon misrepresents the no-kill mission by focusing on the exceptional cases of very sick or dangerous animals. The real problem is that perfectly healthy adoptable animals are being “euthanized” due to a lack of vision and will. That needs to change, and change dramatically.

He also seems to doubt there are enough dedicated volunteers to make no-kill a reality. No surprise. We want a shelter director who has faith in the community and doesn’t give up before even trying. A motivated, enthusiastic director can and will find the support in Russellville.

A director with vision will find a way to get homes for those mixed-breed dogs Vernon said are difficult to rescue. A shelter with greater visibility will educate the community about programs like trap-neuter-release instead of placating “irate” people who might complain.

Let’s not start with what we can’t do. Instead, let’s start by asking what we can and should do.

The city of Russellville already allocates a significant amount of money for the shelter, but we want the shelter to use that money sensibly and compassionately, as many successful no-kill shelters across the country have done (see our website, www.nokillrussellville.org, for an example of a small Texas town that went no kill).

We are convinced the Russellville community has the will to make the shelter something great, not just something we don’t want to think about.

Lindgren Johnson and Cory Shaman

Russellville

NKR 2

I was surprised and extremely happy to see the article on the front page of The Courier about the group who wants to make Russellville’s animal shelter no kill! This has long been a hope of mine, and I’m sure, many others, as well.

It breaks my heart to see the pictures of the animals at the shelter in every Sunday paper, wondering whether they’ll be adopted or not. The “not” part is a terrible thought.

These animals didn’t ask to be brought into this world — they’re usually a result of irresponsible owners who don’t neuter or spay their pets. Other people allow their pets to run free, never caring where they go or what happens to them.

So many times I’ve seen a cat or dog lying alongside the road and I have to wonder, why were these animals allowed to run loose and worse, near a busy highway? Then the days go by and still the animal lays there — don’t these people even care enough to come and get their pet and bury them? How can someone do that to their pet — it’s inexcusable!

Most of the time a dog isn’t even wearing a collar, so you could at least call the owner and tell them to come and get their dog. I’ve even ran across a busy highway to pull an animal off the road and at least lay them in the ditch so they don’t get mangled. If people can’t take better care of their pets than that, they shouldn’t have any!

I recently got a dog from a no-kill shelter in Little Rock, not because I wouldn’t adopt from Russellville, but because I was looking for a certain type of dog. The shelter in Little Rock has teamed up with Pet Finders and every week a Pet Finders truck comes to their shelter to transport dogs and some cats to the northern states.

It seems they don’t have enough animals to adopt out, while the south has far too many. This shelter has adopted out more than 1,500 dogs in the last year! Why doesn’t the Russellville Animal Shelter try to team up with Pet Finders?

Also, there is Best Friends Sanctuary in Utah, who have often made trips to different towns or cities to help make a shelter a no-kill. I think it is up to the officials in Pope County to come up with some way to make this project a reality.

I would happily pay a little more in taxes to fund such a project. It seems there’s always money for other projects, but nobody cares about the animal shelter.

I think Mr. Vernon does the best he can with what he has, but he needs some financial help to make the shelter no kill.

And, as an afterthought, I do not agree with the pitbull ordinance. Any dog is what his owner makes him out to be; it’s not the dog who’s the problem, it’s the owner who makes him that way.

I despise cats. Cats are predators that kill ALL other wildlife that can be a food source including song birds, squirrels, wild turkeys (used to have twenty three beautiful birds feeding in my back yard) and anything else that moves. Cats also carry toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus which are directly transmissible to humans, one of which has been statistically connected to alzheimers. I have a live trap and caught a feral cat. I mean a WILD cat that was vicious.

I took the trap and the cat to the Russellville shelter and left the cat there in my trap, and was told to come back later for the trap.

Upon returning, a female worker walked out to my car and said "I took the cat to Pottsville and released it".

If this is the feral cat "trap, neuter, release" program, you are certainly doing the public and all other wildlife a terrible disservice. Feral cats are dangerous spreaders of disease, and under the right circumstances will attack a person approaching it.

That was certainly no favor to Pottsville. If you are going to release cats, do it within the city limits. Poor, wonderful songbirds.

Read more: The Courier - Your Messenger for the River Valley - Group wants no kill shelter for Russellville